Is there anything that screams summer more than heirloom tomatoes?! I'm going to go ahead and answer that question for you with a big NOPE! Just add a little basil and you have the ultimate combination of summer flavors in these Roasted Tomato & Pumpkin Seed Pesto Toasts!
How to make tomato pesto toast
Make the pumpkin seed pesto
First, soak your cashews for 1-4 hours before making the vegan pumpkin seed pesto.
Do You Have to Soak Cashews Before Blending?
Cashews are already softer than other nuts, but soaking them in water makes them super soft with the added benefit of reducing phytic acid (which can make nuts hard to digest for some people). You can soak cashews in warm water for 1 hour, 3-4 hours in room temperature warm, or overnight in the fridge in cold water for similar results. Just don't let the cashews soak too long as it will make them turn bitter!
Once the cashews are soaked, blend the cashews with the pumpkin seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, basil, and nutritional yeast until a smooth and thick vegan pesto forms.
Slice & layer the heirloom tomatoes on toast
I like to use slices that are ¼ inch thick and layer them so that there are several sizes and colors of tomato on each toast.
For this recipe, I recommend buying 3-4 medium heirloom tomatoes and 3-4 mini heirloom tomatoes of various varieties as this makes the flavor and texture of the vegan tomato toast so much better. Get creative and have fun when layering!
Add seasoning & roast
Basically, add all the ingredients that help bring out the flavor of the tomatoes once roasted like salt, pepper, and olive oil.
Then, bake the tomato pesto toast for 20-25 minutes @ 400F. This brings out all the flavor in the tomatoes. At this point, you can also add additional fresh basil on top!
These Vegan Tomat0 Pumpkin Seed Pesto Toasts truly bring out all the best flavors of summer. It's always bitter-sweet to see summer coming to an end, so enjoy these last few weeks of hot summer sun and plenty of deliciously ripe tomatoes on everything!
-TSG
More delicious recipes with tomatoes you will love:
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Roasted Heirloom Tomato & Vegan Pumpkin Seed Pesto Toasts
Ingredients
Vegan Pesto Spread
- ½ cup raw cashews covered and soaked in water for at 3-4 hours at room temperature or 6-8 hours in the fridge
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 clove clove
- ¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil
Toast & Toppings
- 6 slices gluten-free bread or bread type of your choice
- 3-4 medium heirloom tomatoes
- 3-4 mini heirloom tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- handful fresh basil *extra to top the baked toasts
Instructions
Vegan Pesto
- Add the soaked cashews and water to a small blender and blend together until a smooth paste is formed. Next, add in the nutritional yeast, olive oil, pumpkin seeds, lemon juice, and garlic. Blend to combine. As the last step, add in the fresh basil and blend to combine, scraping down the sides as needed.
Making the Toasts
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Slice your bread into 6 ½ inch thick slices and top each slice with about 2 Tbsp of the pesto. Cut your tomato slices into ¼ inch thick slices and stack on top of the toasts so that they are layered.
- Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste on top of the tomato toasts before baking. Add to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the toast is beginning to brown and the tomatoes are beginning to caramelize.
- Remove from oven, top with fresh basil, and enjoy!
Notes
- I do not recommend storing as leftovers as the toast can get soggy, however, you can cut the recipe in half if you want to make less
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